The present invention relates to a new and improved construction of luggage carrier or the like intended to be secured over the front wheel of a bicycle, the luggage carrier being equipped with an attachment device formed thereat and intended to be attached at the steering fork head.
A prior art luggage carrier of this type is attached at the steering fork head by means of an attachment bracket or strap. This attachment bracket, in turn, is fixedly clamped at the pin or journal protruding forwardly from the center of the steering fork head and, as a general rule, also serving for mounting the brake jaws of the tire rim brakes. This prior art luggage carrier is not satisfactory because the attachment bracket, depending upon the loading of the luggage carrier, also is capable of hindering the proper functioning of the brake jaws. Additionally, the attachment bracket is only stable to a limited extent against torsion, so that the luggage carrier either can only be designed so as to have a very slight cantilever towards the front, or then, however, must possess two additional lateral support struts which have to be attached at the fork legs.
Furthermore, there is known from U.S. Pat. No. 611,256 a basket-shaped luggage carrier wherein only a part of the attachment device is intended to engage at the steering fork head. This part comprises a bracket which engages the central region of the steering fork head from the front at its top and bottom, without having to be fixedly clamped thereat. This bracket is formed at the frame of the base of the luggage carrier. The other part of the attachment device is formed by clamps secured at the upper edge of the luggage carrier, this edge confronting the handlebar. These clamps are fixedly clamped about both arms of the handlebar. While the bracket only supports the load transported by the luggage carrier at the steering fork head, the clamps fixedly clamped at the arms of the handlebar prevent any forward tilting of the luggage carrier. Without these clamps such luggage carrier, when loaded, would tilt towards the front, and as a result the bracket would detach from the steering fork head.
What has been stated above is equally applicable for the basket-shaped luggage carrier of U.S. Pat. No. 615,756. This luggage carrier is suspended by means of hooks at the arms of the handlebar. These hooks form the most important part of the attachment device of the luggage carrier. At the forward edge of the base of such luggage carrier there is hingedly connected one end of a traction or tension strut formed of intertwined wires. This traction strut is adjustable by means of a clamp in its length. The other end of the traction strut is wrapped about the steering fork head. The remaining part of the attachment device, constituted by such traction strut, only serves to prevent any detachment of the hooks which have been suspended at the arms of the handlebar. In any event this traction strut does not have assigned to it any supporting function.
Additionally, from U.S. Pat. No. 1,189,929 there is known to the art a construction of container-shaped luggage carrier which is secured at three locations at the bicycle. Firstly, it is secured at its rear, upper edge by means of brackets at the arms of the handlebar, secondly at its rear, lower edge by means of a hinge with a horizontal hinge pin directed transversely with respect to the direction of travel at the steering fork head, and thirdly, at the region of the front end of both lower side edges by means of hingedly connected strut pieces at the axle of the front wheel. This construction of attachment device thus comprises three parts which engage at different locations, and the hinge at the steering fork head apparently is only assigned the task, when the luggage carrier is loaded, of preventing forward tilting or pivoting of the support struts.
Moreover, from Swiss Pat. No. 526,427 there is known to the art an attachment device for a luggage carrier or a child's seat. This attachment device consists of a two-part clamp connected at the control head and not intended to be secured to the steering fork head. One part of this clamp has two cantilevers containing bores in which there can be inserted the downwardly flexed ends of the frame web of the luggage carrier or the child's seat, as the case may be. Since a luggage carrier which is attached in this manner does not participate in the steering deflections of the steering fork, downwardly depending luggage pieces can obstruct the steering deflections of the front wheel. Finally, in U.S. Pat. No. 605,188 there is likewise taught to the art a luggage carrier which is to be secured over the front wheel of a bicycle. This luggage carrier is attached at two locations at the bicycle. Firstly, it is secured by means of two clamps, each of which are fixedly clamped about the upper end of the leg of the steering fork, and, secondly, is attached to each side by means of a respective supporting strut which likewise is fixedly clamped by means of clamps at the lower ends of the legs of the steering fork.
With none of the previously discussed state-of-the-art luggage carriers, to the extent that such are even secured at the steering fork head, is the attachment constructed such that this attachment alone is capable of securing the loading surface of the luggage carrier in the desired position without there being required other types of attachment points, for instance at the handlebar, and whereby there is still left free the intermediate region of the steering fork head for the anchoring of the front wheel-fender or protective guard and the bearing pin or journal for the brake jaws of a possibly employed tire rim brake.